History major focus of black awareness celebration 02-16-09

KEVIN LEWIS

Herald Editor

Published 6:00 pm, Friday, February 20, 2009

By KEVIN LEWIS

Herald Editor

As mistress of ceremonies Sandra Tolson put it, audience members got an "earful of history" during the 23rd annual Black Awareness and Martin Luther King Community Celebration held Sunday afternoon at Happy Union Baptist Church.

The Rev. J.H. Ford of Lubbock presented a laundry list of some of the nation's most memorable black moments in history as he preached during the conclusion of Plainview's black awareness activities.

"We must never forget that we did not get here by our might or by our intellect, but by the grace of God," Ford said. "God is the moving force behind the events of history."

The celebration - which also included hymns by adult and children's choirs along with presentations to standout citizens Sherrie Wall of Covenant Hospital and Capt. Willie McGee of the Plainview Police Department along with Emmanuel Church of God in Christ for its support of the Austin Heights community (see related photo, page 3A) - was the last of three activities during Black Awareness Month. Grand Alpha XI: For and About Senior Citizens was held a week earlier at Emmanuel Church of God in Christ and a youth celebration took place Saturday night at Estacado Junior High. Events were organized by Rubye Henderson and the Black Awareness Committee.

Sunday's celebration included numerous speeches and presentations.

In her welcome, Yvonne Franklin noted that we are made in God's image then offered a word for each of those letters: I for intellect; M for make-up, or our personality; A for ability; G for gifts and E for energy.

Velma Thompson presented a reading by former Wayland Baptist University professor Ben Akande, now serving as dean of the School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis, in regard to the election of Barack Obama as the country's first black president some 45 years after MLK's famous speech.

"Dreaming offers no restrictions," Thompson said as she spoke words from the Nigerian-born Akande. "You can't kill a dreamer's dreams. Dreams do come true."

Linda Hearn also spoke of dreams as she presented the occasion.

"God places dreams in the hearts of his people," she said. Although Satan works against the plan, "don't be discouraged . . . don't quit." She suggested remembering words from Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Elder Brian Prince, pastor at Emmanuel, then delivered MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety for the second Sunday in a row.

The congregation rose to its feet as Prince concluded, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Prince later challenged the black community to "come out of the shadow" and become more involved in the community.

The Rev. M.L White, before introducing Ford as speaker, said he "voted for Barack, but there's another rock, and his name is Jesus."

Ford began with a medley of gospel hymns and by reminding the youth that "sagging pants" on boys and "being a mother before it's time" for girls are not things to be proud of. But the man raised in Texarkana who has been pastor at Greater St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Lubbock the past 28 years spent most of his time talking about black history and segregation issues.

"Some in this country act like they'd never heard of terrorism until 9-11," Ford said.

He said black citizens have risen above those times and offered numerous shouts of how "the walls came down," leading up to Obama taking the oath of office.